A new Disney/Pixar film set in the Scottish Highlands could help boost tourism during difficult trading times, a VisitScotland boss has said.

Brave, which has characters voiced by Scots including Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson, is to be released in August 2012.

VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said it would be shown in 72 countries and dubbed into several languages.

He said it would give Scotland and the Highlands specifically huge exposure.

Formerly called The Bear and the Bow, Brave tells the story of Merida, an impetuous girl who defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it is too late.

Scots actress Kelly Macdonald provides the voice for Merida, and Robbie Coltrane voices a lord called Dingwall - the name of a town in Ross-shire in the Highlands...

...Mr Cantlay said he expected the new Disney/Pixar to give Scotland even bigger exposure than Mel Gibson's Braveheart amid challenging times for the tourism industry.

The leader of Highland Council has said everyone living in Scotland should get a voucher providing free travel to a Scottish island.

Michael Foxley has made the suggestion to VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing.

He said the scheme would help mark Scotland's Islands, a celebration of island culture that ends in April.

He added that although ferry firms would lose out on fees, passengers would spend money during the trips.

Mr Foxley said the vouchers scheme could start with secondary school pupils.

He said: "Although there is a theoretical loss of income to the ferry companies neither Calmac nor NorthLink Ferries should actually lose out as people would still buy food and drink on board and the potential for repeat trips would be encouraged.

"There would also be benefits to mainland ports as people will require food, drink and accommodation."

The council leader said he was still waiting for feedback from the Scottish government on the idea.

Completely free trips might be too costly but at least some subsidised travel could definitely boost local economies, and at the city-dwellers end (for school pupils especially) could really boost appreciation and respect for the country on our doorstep.

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A £14 million national archive centre for the nuclear industry is to go ahead in Caithness, near to the Dounreay experimental power complex.

• Project was first mooted in 2008 and will be constructed on land owned by the Highland Council

• The archive will create up to 20 jobs and hold between 20-30 million digital, paper and photographic records from civil nuclear sites dating back to the 1940s

The archive – which could create up to 20 jobs – would hold between 20 to 30 million digital, paper and photographic records from civil nuclear sites in the UK dating back to the 1940s.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has announced it is to proceed with the next phase of the project, which was first mooted back in 2008. The new building, to be constructed on land owned by Highland Council near Wick Airport – just a few miles from Dounreay, which was built in the 1950s and is currently being decommissioned – could be open by 2016.

The NDA is working in partnership with local authority to provide a new home for the council’s North Highland Archive within the new centre.

The NDA has a remit from the Government to help mitigate the negative impact on local communities of decommissioning the UK’s redundant nuclear sites.

The authority has chosen to site the archive in Caithness so that anticipated economic benefits from the project will be realised in a community which has been identified as a priority area for NDA socio economic support.

NDA chairman Stephen Henwood said, “This is a significant decision for the NDA.

“The announcement signals the culmination of an extensive piece of work to devise a strategy for the long-term safe management of a huge volume of records dating back to the 1940’s.

“The archive to be built in Wick will be an extremely important national facility and I’m particularly pleased about the additional economic benefits that will come to the north of Scotland by placing the archive in Caithness.”

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said: “The announcement by the NDA to build the National Nuclear Archive in Wick is welcome.

“Not only will the archive deliver the infrastructure required for the NDA to manage its records safely, securely and efficiently but it will also create a number of sustainable quality jobs for the Caithness region.

Local MP John Thurso also welcomed the NDA’s decision to proceed with building the UK’s national archive in the north of Scotland.

He said: “The decision to start work on the National Nuclear Archive in Wick will be a big boost for the local economy during the construction phase and provide good jobs over the longer term.

“It is also an important facility around which complementary activity by The Highland Council and the Scottish Government could be planned. I warmly welcome the decision to proceed and commend the NDA for fulfilling their promise in these difficult economic times.”

Bob Earnshaw, chair of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group said, “The DSG has been involved with this project for a number of years and are really pleased with the announcement which outlines potential dates for the start of an extensive construction project as well as providing long-term jobs for the future.

“While the facility will ensure sustainable jobs it will also represent other unique opportunities for the area and we look forward to continuing to work with the NDA to ensure the benefit of siting the National Nuclear Archive in Wick are maximised.”

Highland Council leader Drew Hendry said: “When the initial decision was taken to establish the National Nuclear Archive in Wick, the Council saw this not only as a positive step forward in terms of creating high-value jobs and boosting the area’s economy, but also as an opportunity to establish a shared facility with the North Highland Archive, creating a unique asset for the north of Scotland and the UK.

“The Council’s role in identifying and providing land has been a key factor in bringing the project to Wick, and we look forward to working with the NDA to bring the project to fruition.”

Construction and design firm Morgan Sindall has been appointed to build an £8m headquarters for Highland Council in Wick.

The scheme, drawn up by JM Architects, will see the existing listed council building, dating back to the 1860s, demolished to make way for 24,000sq/ft of contemporary office space. This will be arranged over three floors and incorporate the authority’s education, culture, social care and sport departments which are currently scattered throughout the town.

Clad in timber to the rear, with stone and glazing applied to the prominent frontage, the scheme will be dominated by a feature clock tower. The consolidation exercise will also incorporate the façade of the curved Stafford Place Buildings which adjoin the site and forms an integral part of Wick’s historic High Street.

David Sutherland, Project Manager at The Highland Council, said: “The development has been a long time in the planning and will deliver a state of the art facility for the Council to do its business with its customers, whilst ensuring efficient use of resources both in buildings and staff. The location is central to maintaining not only the viability of the town centre but also that of neighbouring businesses that depend on Council staff for much of their trade.”

The scheme is scheduled for completion in autumn 2014 and aims to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating.

Housing developer Springfield Properties has announced that it has withdrawn from a contentious project to build a 1,500 home new town on green field land in Aviemore at the heart of the Cairngorms national park.

An Camas Mor has been subject to a number of legal challenges, none of which were successful, and was to have moved on site next spring – something the projects remaining backers insist is still the case.

Johnnie Grant, owner of the Rothiemurchus Estate, on whose land the development will sit said: “An Camas Mor LLP is already in discussion with other partners and in the meantime is taking forward this project to the next stage of the detailed planning process with the original team and the work carried out by Springfield.”

A 30 year development plan tabled by Gehl and Benjamin Tindall architects calls for the creation of a new community on the site.

The first dedicated atlas of Scotland for more than a century highlights how the Highlands and Islands could become the country’s new *economic powerhouse.

The new 35-map compendium showcases northern Scotland’s potential, including in wind and tidal energy, and its strategic position on developing Arctic trade routes.

An Atlas of Productivity, produced by Glasgow-based architecture and design consultancy Lateral North, shows that Scotland has 25 per cent of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal energy resources, and 10 per cent of its wave power.

The authors called for more economic development and population growth in the north.

However, they stressed the atlas was a non-partisan project, and had not been devised to support Scottish independence. Graham Hogg, one of its four collaborators, who started work while at Strathclyde University, said each had different political beliefs.

He said Scotland also had the potential to become a key staging post on international shipping routes between northern Europe and the *Arctic.

The number of ships using the Northern Sea Route along the northern Russian coast between the Atlantic and Pacific has increased from four to 204 a year since 2010.

Experts predict one quarter of world cargo will travel through the Arctic by 2030.

Hogg said: “A key message of the atlas is to get people thinking differently about Scotland, whether it be considering a migration of people to the Highlands and Islands to exploit resources there, thinking about ourselves as an island nation again and how we can reclaim the coast that we have lost touch with, or taking advantage of these new and emerging resources in the Nordic and Arctic regions.

“We are a country that is too focused on urban economies. Our perception of how we inhabit the Scottish landscape should change – many of the industries and resources of our country’s future lie within the Highlands and Islands.”

Hogg said that following the Scandinavian example, “we don’t have to centralise our populations, but instead they should be spread out throughout Scotland and take advantage of the resources we have such as renewable energies”.

Robin McAlpine, director of the Reid Foundation, which published the atlas, said: “If we want a prosperous future for Scotland, it is simply mad that we’re not properly looking at our land, air and sea resources and our geostrategic position.

“So much of our national energy and investment has gone into retail, banking and property speculation and so little into developing our transport links, bringing unproductive land into productive use or developing economies outside the Central Belt.

“If you look at this atlas in 2014, Scotland looks awfully like a wasted opportunity.”

Work to deliver a new £48.5m school campus in Wick has got underway as the Highland Council presses ahead with a merger of Wick High School, Pulteneytown Academy Primary and South Primary within a single campus.

Designed by Ryder Wick Community Campus will be delivered by Miller Construction on behalf of Hub North Scotland and will include a community swimming pool and library.

Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Having seen the plans for the new school, I am heartened to see that The Highland Council has worked in collaboration with Scottish Futures Trust to deliver a school that is innovative, value for money and will provide an excellent environment for pupils to learn in for many years to come.”

The campus is being delivered in tandem with a new primary school for the town and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016.

A £25 million visitor resort, including a ‘world-class’ five-star hotel, is being planned in the shadow of Britain’s highest mountain.

Forestry Commission Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have produced a ‘masterplan’ for Leanachan, Fort William, next to Ben Nevis in Lochaber.

Proposals include a five-star resort hotel, bunkhouse and low-impact alternative tourist accommodation, and a campsite all located in an enhanced woodland setting.

The Nevis Forest and Mountain Resort could create hundreds of jobs.

Local businesses and communities are now being invited to give their feedback on the completed Leanachan Masterplan.

Robert Grant, part of the forestry commission’s team managing the project, said: “We’ve established good links and a robust feedback process with key stakeholders and the wider community who are keen to get involved with these developing proposals.

“We’re aiming for a resort hotel that complements, rather than competes with, existing provision in the area and consultation has highlighted a general agreement with the principle of a resort complex.

“The majority of participants would welcome the facilities and the additional tourist numbers that it could bring.”

He added: “We’re still listening, though, and have already taken on board the feedback we’ve received.

“This latest version of the proposal includes some changes to the bunkhouse as well as some new elements including the Lochaber Rural Complex site and Nevis ski range and we’re now looking for further comment.”

Leanachan covers 7,300 acres of national forest land and is a popular draw for tourists.

The area provides access to The Nevis Range, world class mountain biking, scenic walking trails and helped Lochaber gain the “Outdoor Capital of the UK” status.

Chris Taylor, Head of Tourism at HIE, said: “We are pleased the Nevis Forest and Mountain Resort masterplan is progressing.

“It is important that local people have their say as this project has the potential to substantially increase visitor numbers and strengthen the economy of the wider Lochaber area.”

The joint project is being viewed as a 20-year scheme, but the team behind it hope to be able to apply for planning permission next summer.

The masterplan is broken into four development zones.

The first involves the creation of a five-star resort hotel and spa, with a luxury lodge development. There are three options for this part of the project, including an 80-room spa hotel, 50 high-quality lodges, or a combination of both.

The other zones cover additions to the Nevis Ski Centre, including car park improvements and extensions, an area of cabins, camping pods and yurts, with a bunkhouse close to the major sporting activities in the area.

The team promoting the resort say they want to create a venue which is a ‘world-class destination in its own right and from which all the attractions of Fort William and wider Lochaber region can be explored’.

If all the parts of the project come together the total investment in the project is estimated at £25million.

Councillor Thomas MacLennan, who is chairman of Highland Council’s Lochaber area committee, said: “I welcome this proposed development for Leanachan Forest, which is a tremendously underused resource for Fort William and Lochaber.

“The community needs to engage, become aware of what’s on offer and see what we can do to make this come to fruition to improve the visitor experience and create much-needed jobs.”

Lochaber Chamber of Commerce is also behind the complex.

Chief executive Lesley Benfield said: “It is a very impressive project, which will further enhance the existing facilities and attractions that bring tourists to the area.

“It will fit in very well and add another level to the visitor experience.”

A drop-in day at the Pinemartin Café, Nevisrange on 4 November will include a presentation on the project.

Interesting. Good that something like this is being considered, worried about the potential damage it could do to the environment around it if footfall is dramatically increased as a result..

I agree. Beyond the glossy images of tree hotels in Sweden and mountain lodges in Canada when you actually read the document (http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/imag...masterplan.pdf) you'll see that the plans are basically bringing a type of suburbia into the wild. 'Pretty' little rabbit hutches arranged in a close not dissimilar to a centre parks.. nothing 5 star about it. As the plans stand its a missed opportunity for the local community who have been sold the project on it bringing benefit to the area however as a visitor i can say something like this would really put me off coming. It is detached from Fort William and bears NO relation to its Scottish context - instead it tries to poorly emulate the international concept of 'timber lodge'. Page 42 even suggests Yurts - i mean they might be 'fashionable' today but is this really thinking long term? The current plan encourages car usage and damages the natural environment that visitors come for. This area might have potential for accommodation expansion but it should be done with much more consideration to its context.. i.e. look at traditional highland construction and the way villages are arranged.. grouped around services so you don't have to jump in the car for a pint of milk.

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Highlands and Islands Enterprise has officially unveiled the first phase of a new centre for marine science at Dunstaffnage, Oban.

Malin House provides 20,000sq/ft of office and laboratory space, part of a planned European Marine Science Park, designed to bolster aquaculture industries, renewable energy and science.

HIE chief executive Alex Paterson said: “The European Marine Science Park at Dunstaffnage brings together a number of businesses in Argyll and the wider Highlands and Islands which are at the forefront of developments in marine science, marine technology and aquaculture. EMSP is designed to enable new and expanding companies, as well as inward investors, the opportunity to locate to the region and further develop what is already a world-class centre of excellence in marine science.”

Developers are to press ahead with plans for a new £10m retail park in Fort William after getting the green light from planning authorities to include food outlets.

Morbaine has already signed up Aldi and Home Bargains as tenants for the North Road development.

It said it was also in talks with other retailers, including Marks and Spencer, to fill the other two available units.

Highland Council officials had recommended against a mixed-use park.

Cheshire-based Morbaine previously secured outline planning consent for some 55,000 sq ft of non-food retail use before seeking to expand the type of retailing allowed at the site.

The new proposals include plans to build a roundabout next to the site, along the A82.

Morbaine has said the development could lead to 150 new retail jobs after construction.

Morbaine director Alex Brodie said: "I would like to thank the local community in Fort William and the surrounding area who have been nothing but supportive and constructive over the years and we look forward to providing them with the additional retail options that they have been asking for."

He added: "We will keep the community updated on our progress and let them know more about when the retail park might be open and how local businesses can participate in the construction process."

Plans for an ambitious £20 million archive centre in Caithness, aimed at telling the story of the UK’s nuclear history, are forging ahead.

Highland councillors are fully expected to vote unanimously in favour of the proposal for a distinctive triangular-shaped archive just outside Wick when its planning application comes up for debate next week.

The centre will house tens of millions of documents, spanning 70 years of history from across Britain’s nuclear sites, including nearby Dounreay. Around 30 jobs will be created.

A report to Tuesday’s north planning committee by official Emma Forbes said: “The proposed building has a gross floor area of approximately 6,186 square metres.

“It is expected to hold between 20 and 30 million digital records and more than 28,000 linear metres (17 miles) of paper and photographic records primarily concerning the history, development and decommissioning of the UK’s civil nuclear industry since the 1940s.

“The need for this facility was identified in 2008 when the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) announced plans to create the new archive in Caithness.

“This was in response to the NDA’s duty to manage public records, keeping them safe and making them accessible to the public and the nuclear community.”

The NDA archive is being developed in partnership with Highland Council, whose own North Highland Archive records will also be housed in the facility.

The archive will bring together vast numbers of records, plans, photographs, drawings and other important information dating as far back as Second World War, that are currently stored in various locations around the country.

An NDA spokesman said: “Much of the information will eventually be digitised and made available for electronic research, and to support the ongoing decommissioning mission.

“Some of the material is currently held in buildings scheduled for demolition as sites are decommissioned, while some is also stored in off-site locations.

“Sellafield, the NDA’s largest site, is estimated to hold more than 50 per cent of all the records in numerous stores, while at least of 80,000 archive boxes are held in commercial storage facilities.

“The Wick facility will also be developed as a base for training archivists, potentially offering apprenticeships, linking up with the University of the Highlands and Islands and the local community.”

Councillors are being recommended to grant the planning application when it comes up for debate and, because they are partners in the project, it is expected to clear this next hurdle without a hitch.

In her report, Miss Forbes said: “The design of the proposal is bold, distinctive and contemporary, utilising a triangular geometric footprint with high-quality materials and a design solution which maximises energy efficiency.”